MLB trade deadline winners, losers 2019: Analyzing best, worst deals

By Nick Goss

/

The 2019 MLB trade deadline has passed, and many of the top players rumored to be available ultimately did not get moved.

However, there were a few really talented players who switched teams, and these moves should have a real impact on the playoff races in both the American League and National League over the final two months of the regular season.

Let's take a look at the biggest winners and losers from the 2019 MLB trade deadline.

WINNERS: Houston Astros

The Astros won the trade deadline.

They entered Wednesday with the top record in the AL and bolstered an already strong rotation by acquiring starter Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Greinke has 10-4 record with a 2.87 ERA and 128 strikeouts over 141 innings this season. Houston's rotation now features Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander and Greinke for the playoffs, which should absolutely frighten the rest of the AL. If the Greinke deal wasn't impressive enough, Houston also acquired reliever Joe Biagini and depth starter Aaron Sanchez from the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Astros are now the clear favorites to win the AL pennant and likely the World Series, too, after crushing the deadline with three good pitching acquisitions. Most of Houston's competition in the AL, most notably the Red Sox and Yankees, also did nothing substantial to improve their rosters.

LOSERS: Minnesota Twins

The Twins bolstered their bullpen by acquiring reliever Sergio Romo from Marlins over the weekend and trading for Giants relief pitcher Sam Dyson on Wednesday. These are solid upgrades, but not likely enough to hold off the red-hot Cleveland Indians in the AL Central race. The Indians did well in the Trevor Bauer trade and picked up outfielders Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig to improve an offense that ranks 10th in the AL in runs scored. The Twins once had a double-digit lead in the division but they're now only three games ahead of the Indians entering Wednesday. Minnesota could have used its impressive stable of prospects to make a meaningful upgrade to the rotation and/or lineup, and now it must hope this inexperienced roster is good enough to withstand the pressures of the playoff race.

WINNERS: San Francisco Giants

The Giants were destined to become sellers before going 18-6 in July to climb back into the playoff race. San Francisco sits just 2.5 games behind a wild card berth in the NL, so it made sense to hold on to starter Madison Bumgarner, reliever Tony Watson and closer Will Smith. The Giants also acquired All-Star second baseman Scooter Gennett, who, if healthy, upgrades their lineup and defense in the infield. San Francisco also acquired talented infield prospect Mauricio Dubon in exchange for pitchers Drew Pomeranz and Ray Black. This move strengthens the Giants farm system as Dubon was the No. 3 prospect in the Brewers' system.

It was a busy deadline for the Giants, and they are well-positioned to contend for a playoff spot in manager Bruce Bochy's final season before retirement.

LOSERS: New York Yankees

The Yankees did nothing at the trade deadline despite real concerns about their rotation and bullpen. Instead, the Astros outmaneuvered them and acquired elite starter Zack Greinke from the Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as reliever Joe Biagini and starter Aaron Sanchez from the Toronto Blue Jays, to become the clear favorite to win the AL pennant.

The Bronx Bombers badly needed a starter and weren't able to acquire any of the best pitchers rumored to be available. New York has zero starters with a sub-4.00 ERA and ace Luis Severino has spent a large chunk of the season on the injured list.

The Yankees have a 7.5-game lead in the AL East and one of their best lineups in several years. Acquiring another premium starter would have given the Yankees a tremendous chance to win their first World Series since 2009, but now they must enter October without a single starting pitcher that strikes fear into opposing hitters.

WINNERS: Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are 5.5 games out of first place in the NL East and sit in a three-way tie for the two wild card spots, so it wasn't surprising to see them buy at the deadline. Washington's main weakness is its bullpen, which ranks dead last in the NL with a 5.97 ERA. The Nationals traded for three relievers -- Daniel Hudson of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Roenis Elias and Hunter Strickland of the Seattle Mariners -- on Wednesday without surrendering any of their top prospects. Hudson has a 3.00 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched in 2019.

LOSERS: Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox, inexplicably, made no moves at the trade deadline despite showing signs of being a legit contender against the rival New York Yankees last weekend.

The Sox bullpen entered Wednesday second in the AL with 19 blown saves. The 'pen also has the AL's worst save percentage at 52.5, and it ranks 10th in the league (out of 15 teams) with a 4.53 ERA. Boston still doesn't have a real solution for the closer role, and it's current saves leader Ryan Brasier is pitching in Triple-A Pawtucket after struggling earlier this month. Bullpen improvement now rests on the shoulders of Nathan Eovaldi, which is not ideal given his recent injury history.

The Red Sox will have to overcome a flawed roster to earn a playoff spot despite being nine games behind the Yankees in the AL East and two games behind the Oakland Athletics for the second wild card berth.

WINNERS: Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves acquired one of the top bullpen targets on the market in Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene. Greene will slide into the closer role in Atlanta, which was an area the Braves needed to upgrade. Atlanta has blown 17 saves this season and ranks ninth among 15 NL clubs with a disappointing 63.04 save percentage. Greene impressed for the Tigers with 22 saves, a 1.18 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 38 innings this season. He's not a free agent until after the 2021 campaign, so Atlanta will get more than one season of service time from him. Atlanta also added veteran reliever Mark Melancon in a trade with the San Francisco Giants. Melancon has a 3.50 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings.

Atlanta added catching depth with the acquisition of John Ryan Murphy in a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks as well.

The Braves have a 5.5-game lead over the Nationals for first place in the NL East, and upgrading the bullpen was a wise move as the playoff race heats up.

LOSERS: Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers were busy of late, acquiring Jordan Lyles, Drew Pomeranz, Ray Black and Jake Faria. Milwaukee added depth and addressed a few weaknesses, but none of these players are likely to make a profound impact on the NL pennant race.

The Brewers are two games behind the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central and trail the second wild card spot by one game. Milwaukee has an impressive roster, and adding a top-of-the-rotation starter really could have put the team in a strong position to earn a playoff berth. The Brewers rank 13th out of 15 NL teams with a 4.81 starters ERA. Pomeranz and Black came at the expense of Mauricio Dubon, who was the No. 3 prospect in Milwaukee's system. That's a steep price for two average pitchers.

By making only minor moves and watching teams around them in the standings (including the Nationals and Cubs) make better upgrades, the Brewers now are in real danger of missing the postseason after being only one game from the World Series in 2018.

WINNERS: Philadelphia Phillies

Since the beginning of June, the Phillies have acquired Jay Bruce, Brad Miller, Jason Vargas, Blake Parker, MIke Morin, Jose Pirela, Corey Dickerson and Drew Smyly. Smyly, in particular, has been a very nice addition for Philly. He's made two starts for the Phillies with eight hits and only one earned run allowed over 13 innings.

The Phillies haven't made any star acquisitions during the season, but there's no question the players mentioned above have significantly bolstered the team's depth in several areas. Philadelphia is 6.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East race and it's tied with the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals for the wild card spots. Six teams in the NL are within three games of a wild card berth, so the Phillies were smart to improve their depth without giving up any of the team's top prospects.

LOSERS: New York Mets

The Mets, according to reports, went back-and-forth between being buyers and sellers. After a strange move to acquire Toronto Blue Jays ace Marcus Stroman over the weekend, the Mets decided to not make any moves at the deadline. Veteran starter Zack Wheeler, who's able to be a free agent this winter, was not dealt. The Mets now risk losing him for nothing. New York also failed to capitalize on the abundance of teams needing bullpen help and trade closer Edwin Diaz. The Mets appear to be in win-now mode despite sitting 11.5 games behind first place in the NL East and five games in back of a wild card berth.

New York should've traded some of its valuable players, stockpiled prospects and went into the offseason looking to re-tool the roster. Unfortunately for Mets fans, this franchise continues to be poorly run.